Acceptance of bids, appointments on NT agenda

By Pierre Comtois, Correspondent

Posted:
05/23/2014 07:30:18 AM EDT

WESTFORD -- With the end of the current academic year in sight, the Nashoba Valley Technical School Committee laid the groundwork last Tuesday for fiscal 2015 with a number of authorizations and appointments.

Among the authorizations approved by the committee were those allowing Superintendent Judith Klimkiewicz to seek bids for HVACR (heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration) maintenance services; trash-receptacle and waste-removal services; cafeteria food, bread and milk, and other supplies; and installation of a ballfield irrigation system, all but the last under three-year contracts.

Klimkiewicz was also authorized to accept the lowest qualified bid made by American Sports Floors for replacing the wood flooring in the school's gymnasium for $129,368 and bleachers made by Corbin Interiors or Robert Lord Co. for $58,200 and $58,333, respectively.

A decision between Corbin Interiors and Robert Lord Co. is expected in the near future.

Committee members approved contracts with North Andover-based Nexamp Asset Management Services to replace existing solar panels and related equipment on the school's roof at a price not to exceed $44,740 and National Grid for the installation of new energy-efficient lights at a cost of $108,858.

School Committee members voted to reappoint Paulette Paine as the school nurse, Timothy Harrison as district treasurer and the firm of Stoneman, Chandler & Miller as the district's legal counsel.

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Although the committee voted to reappoint the accounting firm of Powers & Sullivan as the district's auditor, the vote did not come without some questions about fellow bidder Giusti, Hingston and Company, which offered a lower bid.

It was suggested that it might be good practice not to remain with the same company too long. But Klimkiewicz replied that experience was something to be considered as well and that Powers & Sullivan had many attorneys expert in different aspects of educational law.

The superintendent's arguments proved persuasive as a motion to further explore Giusti, Hingston and Company's bid was defeated in favor of reappointing Powers & Sullivan.

Also at their meeting Tuesday, committee members:

* Were told that residents at town meetings held by member towns had all approved the school's fiscal 2015 budget, as well as a capital-spending measure aimed at repair of the building's roof.

* Were informed by the superintendent of a newly passed state law regarding bullying in schools. The new law, which singles out LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) students as more susceptible to bullying than others, would need to be compared with the district's current policy on bullying and changed where necessary.

* Were informed that Townsend resident Terri Cadrette, a senior in the design and visual communications program, was chosen as one of the school's students of the month.

* Voted to approve a new school calendar for next year with the first day of school set for Sept. 2 and last day for June 10. "Winter break" and "spring break" in December and April respectively will stand in for the traditional Christmas and Easter vacation weeks.

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